MORE NEWS, 1-13: WV APPROVES PINNACLE WIND; FIRST TRIBAL SUN RISING IN NM; DOCTOR DRILL TO DX COLO GEOTHERM; $15 BIL/YR TO PEOPLE FROM CALIF CAP&TRADE

WV APPROVES PINNACLE WIND
PSC approves Pinnacle Wind Farm
Richard Kerns, January 12, 2010 (Mineral Daily News-Tribune)

"The West Virginia Public Service Commission ruled…in favor of the Pinnacle Wind Farm project near Keyser, granting a siting permit that will allow construction of 23 400-foot wind turbines atop Green Mountain…

"Developed with the cooperation of NewPage paper mill, which will reap some of the “green” credits from the project, the $131 million Pinnacle Wind Farm involves the construction of 23 wind turbines that will have a maximum generating capacity of 55 megawatts, or enough to supply the annual electricity needs of 14,000 homes…NewPage officials welcomed the approval…"

There are those who object to those turbines on that mountain ridge, claiming they spoil the view. (click to enlarge)

"In addtion to creating more than 100 construction jobs and several permanent maintenance positions, the project will generate an estimated $433,000 in annual county taxes, with the bulk of the funding under state formula going to Mineral County schools."

Yes, they are on that mountain ridge, too. Look closely. (click to enlarge)

"WindForce has been working on the project for several years, obtaining easements for siting the turbines on private property and conducting long-term studies into the impact on natural resources, wildlife, view sheds, historical features and other matters reviewed by state and federal agencies…[C]onstruction of the wind farm will take less than a year…[and] turbines could be operational by the end of 2010…[though] startup may be delayed, as WindForce works to finalize a deal to sell its “green” energy to the University of Maryland.

"Once the project moves to actual construction, WindForce expects to transfer ownership and management of the wind farm to Edison Mission Group, a national energy firm…[A]ll agreements…will be honored by Edison, including establishment of a $50,000 community endowment fund, to be infused with an additional $20,000 a year for the life of the project."


FIRST TRIBAL SUN RISING IN NM
NM Indian Tribe Hopes to Profit From Solar Energy; NM Indian tribe that holds the sun sacred sees a brighter future in solar power
Susan Montoya Bryan, January 12, 2010 (AP via ABC News)

"…The 3,000 members of the Jemez Pueblo [- a poverty-stricken Indian tribe that holds the sun and nature's other gifts sacred - ] are on the verge of building the nation's first utility-scale solar plant on tribal land, a project that could bring in millions of dollars.

"Experts say tapping into the sun, wind and geothermal energy on Indian land could generate the kind of wealth many tribes have seen from slot machines and blackjack tables…The 30-acre site where 14,850 [Jemez Pueblo] solar panels will be set up has been selected, and after four years of arduous planning and negotiations, a contract to sell outsiders the electricity produced by the four-megawatt operation is at hand. The plant would be capable of cranking out enough electricity to power about 600 homes…[It] would cost about $22 million, financed through government grants, loans and tax credits…[and] bring in around $25 million over the next 25 years. That could help the tribe improve its antiquated drinking water system and replace the lagoons it uses to treat wastewater."

New Mexico has just a little sun. (click to enlarge)

"Renewable energy is a new option for bringing revenue to Indian country, where many communities are poverty-stricken and unemployment is often double the national rate. Jemez Pueblo's effort comes after the federal government refused to let it build a casino because the proposed site was too far away from the community…Indian tribes control more than 55 million acres of land across the nation, and those lands are capable of producing an estimated 535 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year from wind power…Solar has even greater promise, at 17 trillion kilowatt hours per year, or more than four times the amount of electricity generated annually in the U.S…

"President Barack Obama acknowledged the possibilities during a meeting last fall with leaders of the nation's tribes. He said he would work to ensure tribes have access to transmission and financing for energy projects…From 2002 to 2008, the Tribal Energy Program funded nearly 100 projects totaling $16.5 million. A 2005 federal law authorizes up to $20 million for the program each year."

And the Jemez Pueblo is in the heart of New Mexico's sun. (click to enlarge)

"One of the leading tribes has been the Campo Kumeyaay Nation outside of San Diego. It is home to a 50-megawatt wind farm, and the tribe is joining forces with San Diego Gas & Electric Co. to build a second wind farm capable of producing 160 megawatts. Tribal wind farms have also sprouted up across the Midwest.

"However, the development of solar power on Indian land is in its infancy. While many tribes use solar panels to power casinos and individual homes, Jemez Pueblo is leading the way in developing a grid-connected solar array for selling power to outside customers…Every fall, Jemez Pueblo gives thanks to nature in an age-old harvest celebration during which dancers wearing headdresses and jingling bells pound the ground with their feet to the beat of drums. Tribal members hold the sun sacred as the source of the warmth and light needed to grow crops in this remote area about 50 miles northwest of Albuquerque…"


DOCTOR DRILL TO DX COLO GEOTHERM
Wells needed to answer geothermal questions
Joe Stone, January 12, 2010 (The Mountain Mail)

"Developing a geothermal power plant is a long-term process, Fred Henderson, chief scientific officer of Mount Princeton Geothermal, LLC, said recently…Henderson said drilling two or three exploratory wells 2,500 feet deep is the next step in efforts to produce electricity. He said feasibility of the project is unknown without deep well data about the underlying geothermal reservoir.

"Although the highest geothermal temperatures in Colorado have been documented at the Mount Princeton site, higher temperature is needed to efficiently operate a geothermal power plant…[The company] hopes to find a temperature of 250 degrees in deep exploratory wells…[without impairing water quality, quantity or temperature or]…the Colorado Division of Water Resources won't issue a production permit."

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"…[Henderson] believes tapping the geothermal resource at depths greater than 2,000 feet will prevent damage to the shallow aquifer that feeds local wells and hot springs…[and] determine if the deep aquifer has sufficient flow to support geothermal electricity production…[D]eep wells are also needed to define specific location of the deeper geothermal reservoir…

"..[A] plant could be engineered to fit a space equivalent to Mount Princeton Greenhouses near the geothermal study area…[and] would be air-cooled, not water-cooled and therefore would have no steam plume…[A] 10-megawatt project goal is an estimate and…electricity output would be based upon maintainable long-term energy production as indicated by the deep well tests."


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"…[The company] hopes work can begin on deep wells in the spring…[if it gets] a Colorado Division of Water Resources permit and landowner permission…[T]here are plans to install monitoring equipment throughout the area to document natural fluctuation in temperature and water level in addition to any changes that might occur if a plant begins operation…[T]he Colorado Geological Survey and Colorado School of Mines had a seismic monitoring network in the area, but…[there is] little risk…

"Projects recently abandoned because of earthquakes - one in Basel, Switzerland, the other in northern California - relied upon "enhanced geothermal" techniques including fracturing bedrock by pumping high pressure fluid into the ground…[The] binary technology proposed for Mount Princeton would involve no high pressure pumping and would simply return used water to the underground reservoir…If successful, the Mount Princeton Geothermal project will be the first in the state and will be an important step toward meeting the state-mandated 2020 goal of generating 20 percent of power for Colorado from renewable resources…"


$15 BIL/YR TO PEOPLE FROM CALIF CAP&TRADE
California cap-and-trade: A political gamble?
Margot Roosevelt, January 11, 2010 (LA Times)

"…[A]n advisory committee to the California Air Resources Board…recommended that 75% of an expected $20 billion in annual revenue from the state's proposed global warming measures be kicked right back to state residents…

"The 16-member Economic and Allocation Advisory Committee is made up of distinguished economists and environmental policymakers such as Stanford's Lawrence Goulder and Berkeley's Dan Kammen, but they can put their fingers to the wind as much as anyone…[W]ith a 12.5% unemployment rate, California's landmark AB 32 climate legislation faces major challenges as the air board prepares a complex program to cap the state's greenhouse gas pollution by 2012, auction emissions allowances to industry and design a trading program to alleviate the burden."

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"Industry has mounted a vigorous campaign against the program, citing a study that pegs the cost to households at $3,857 a year in higher energy prices -- a figure that the air board flatly disputes. Other studies estimate the rise in energy costs at about 1.3% per household. The advisory committee is now reviewing the air board's economic analysis and will issue a report on the costs next month.

"Polls show a drop in California residents' concern over global warming. A Republican legislator is gathering signatures for a ballot initiative to roll back the law until state unemployment drops to 5.5%. And leading GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman has also called for a delay in implementing the rules."

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"The advisory committee's report calls for auctioning 100% of greenhouse gas emissions permits for industry, a program that is expected to generate as much as $20 billion a year by 2020…Despite heavy lobbying from California utilities, the committee specifically recommended against offering free allowances for them to reduce electricity prices…A cap-and-trade system with 100% auctioned permits is already operating in nine Northeastern states covering only power plants and has raised $500 million in the first 15 months. Europe's cap-and-trade program suffered major problems after giving away allowances to industry…Now the European Union is phasing in an auction system expected to generate $71 billion a year by 2020.

"The California program, as recommended by the board, would allocate a quarter of the revenue to projects such as renewable-energy plants that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And it would offer special breaks to low-income families who might suffer from higher energy prices. It also opens the way for "border adjustments" for industries such as cement, which could lose business to out-of-state producers that are not subject to carbon regulation."